crisis in syria. the deadly crackdown on government opponents intensifies as does the diplomatic pressure on the assad regime. super pac support. if you can't beat them, join them. the obama administration reverses its decision on super pacs. and stunt shocker. a misplaced cable brings a sudden halt to a circus motorcycle act. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody, and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. well, the syrian city of homs is under siege again this morning. residents and activists say at least 95 people were killed monday by forces loyal to president bashir assad.

the city has become a stronghold for opposition fighters during the 11-monday uprising against the government, and in that time, an estimated 5,000 people have been killed throughout the country. and on monday in a move to step up pressure on assad's regime, the united states closed its embassy in damascus and britain recalled its ambassador. fighting in homs has intensified since the weekend. 200 people were reportedly killed on saturday. rebel forces say they have taken control of several neighborhoods throughout the city. >> reporter:this area is all your area? >> yes, all my area. this one, this one, this one, the government cannot come. >> the outbreak of violence in homs comes after russia and china vetoed a resolution that backed an arab plan calling for assad to step down. >> mr. president, the united states is disgusted that a couple members of this council

continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose here, addressing an ever deepening crisis in syria. by removing the diplomats from syria, the united states is signaling it no longer wants to engage with assad's regime. president obama is holding out hope for a negotiated settlement but remains steadfast that assad must go. that sentiment was echoed monday by britain's foreign secretary of state. >> this is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime. there's no way it can recover its credibility internationally or with its own people. there's no plans to try to topple the regime, leaving little protection for the opposition fighters from the government's forces. russia's foreign minister is scheduled to visit damascus today. he says russia is pressing assad's government. to implement democratic reform. >> now to politics and a change

of course for the obama campaign. the campaign is now asking its fun raisers. meanwhile rupp voters have three presidential contests today in minnesota, colorado, and missouri. susan mcginnis is in washington with more on that. good morning, susan. good morning, betty. mitt romney is hoping to further solidify his front-runner status in all three states today, but while he was campaigning, rick santorum was busy hammering these three states today and he could make a difference. r.i.m. kept his focus on president obama last night in a rally in colorado. >> he says he deserves a second term. can you believe that? >> reporter: but today romney may need to worry more about a surprise challenge from rick santorum. while romney leads the gop pac in colorado, new polling shows santorum holds an edge heading into today's caucuses in minnesota. the former pennsylvania senator also has a chance of beating

romney in missouri, where newt gingrich isn't even on the ballot. >> i think we need a very big change. >> today's contest won't award any delegates but a win could still give the candidates a beat. boost. to compete with the gop, the obama campaign is shifting its position on political donation, now encouraging its top fund-raisers to give freely to democratic super pacs. two years ago president obama criticized the supreme court in his state of the union address for stripping away limits on campaign contributions. >> the supreme court reversed a century of law that i believe will open the floodgates for p>> but a recent report shows republican super pacs are bringing in nearly five times more thun than democratic ones. president obama's campaign is defending its position saying the stakes are too high to play by two different sets of rules. meanwhile senate democrats announced they plan to hold hearings whether the gop super

pacs are violating federal law that bans coordination between the super pacs and the campaign. betty? >> susan mcginnis in washington for us. thank you, susan. meanwhile it's reported that the obama campaign is returning $200,000 linked to a mexican casino owner facing drug charges. the report says the money was raised by two chicago casino owners. cardona skipped bail back in 1994 and has been tied to mexican drug dealers. today a federal appeals court is expected to rule on california's same-sex marriage ban, proposition 8. opponents argue the ban violates civil rights. proposition 8 was approved in 2008. it was struck down in a federal court appeal. the case is likely headed to the u.s. supreme court. we're learning more about that house fire that killed the husband and children of missing utah woman susan powell. authorities say an ax was found

near the boys' bodies, which was apparently used to wound the boys. their father, josh powell, sent e-mails minutes before the fire but never mentioned his missing wife. we have more. >> reporter: cell phone video shows flames raging through this home after it blew up in grand, washington. inside the police found bodies of josh powell and his two sons. powell's wife susan has been missing since 2009. investigators say they believe powell had been planning the fire for some time. they found two five-gallon gas cans inside the house, one near the bodies. >> detected boxes of toys and boys and donated them to the good will sometime over the weekend, so this was definitely a deliberate planned out event. >> reporter: the home exploded after a social worker brought 7-year-old charles and 5-year-old braden for supervised visitation with their father. powell was a person of interest in his wife's missing persons

case. the children lived with susan powell's parents who say the boys were reluctant to visit their father on sunday. >> they seemed to be losing interest in going to see him. >> reporter: a judge denied powell's custody of his sons on weekend. investigators say powell sent several e-mails to his pastor and family members telling them how to handle his affairs moments before the house exploded. in one note to his lawyer, powell said, quote, i'm sorry, good-bye. >> it's just senseless. senseless to slaughter two innocent children. >> reporter: in a report, the children were starting to remember what happened the night their mother had vanished. >> they had gone camping, their mother had been in the trunk, later their mom and dad walked out into the desert and mommy got lost. >> reporter: firefighters will cyst through the home to try to piece together the final moments of the young boys' lives. cbs news. the american aid worker rescued by navy sales in somalia last month says she is healing and is grateful for the support.

in a statement issued from her virginia home, jessica buchanan said, i am humbled by the dedication of president obama and those in the american government who planned and orchestrated my rescue, and by the bravery and heroism of the soldiers who risked their lives to carry it out. coming up on the morning news, dozens of states sign up for a landmark foreclose settlement. plus, high wire accident. look at this. a stunt man runs into big trouble at a circus. first, though, scott pelley has a preview of tonight's cbs news. >> their children's public school is failing, and they're demanding change. we'll tell you about a controversial law that give s parents the power to take control of their children's education. that's tonight on the "cbs evening news." that's tonight on the "cbs evening news." tifying. plus, i have advanced pharmacy systems that keep accuracy high, along with training and other benefits,

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a motorcycle stunt in michigan went horribly wrong. it happened sunday. look at this. right there.

during a circus performance in saginaw, the biker hit the cable and crashes down about 25 feet. someone had apparently failed to remove the cable before the ride. josh hedford broke his leg, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. after his recovery, he says, he plans to continue his daredevil stunts. well, the "cbs moneywatch," all eyes on ben bernanke today, and redbox teams up with verizon in a major movie deal. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. y overseas markets the stock slipped and hong kongs ee hang seng was also flat. concern over greece's default, the dow lost 17 points while the nasdaq fell 3. more than 40 states have signed on to a settlement deal. with the nation's five biggest mortgage lenders. it would force the banks to reduce home loans for about one million homeowners.

the lenders would also have to send checks of about $2,000 to hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes to foreclose. the landmark settlement was reached after the lenders admitting to abusing foreclose practices. fed chair ben bernanke goes before the senate budget committee today. he will be asked to assess the state of the economic recovery and the impact the european debt crisis may have on the u.s. economy. bernanke will also discuss the federal budget and whether the fed will keep its interest rate at record lows. congress will be talking taxes today, specifically the payroll tax cut that was the center of debate at the end of last year. a joint economic committee holds hearings today on how to extend the cuts for a full year. democrats and republicans are split on how to pay for the tax breaks. the committee will also discuss extending unemployment insurance. and netflix is getting some more competition in the video streaming market. verizon is partnering up with

video rental service redbox to start an online viewing service. the service will also have an option for customers to receive dvds. there's no word on what the service will be called or just how much it will cost. betty, customers will let you know. it comes down to that bottom line, how much does it cost. >> yes, it does. and redbox is only a buck, so if you can stream it into my living room for a dollar, there you go. >> they have another customer. this year's oscar nominees met for lunch in beverly hills from brad pitt to melissa mccarthy. the who's who of hollywood was there yesterday. 150 stars in all attended the annual academy awards meal. they'll meet again at the oscars on february 26th. good luck. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, super bowl champs new york giants are already celebrating today's big ticker tape parade. celebrating today's big ticker tape parade. lisa's new normal hi jamie. here's my activia video. love this stuff.

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in some cities around the country. new york is sunny, 50 degrees. miami, 81. chicago, snow showers there, 35. it's going to be sunny in dallas, 58. cooler in l.a., but 62 degrees there. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a swirling mass of clouds gathering over the nation's heartland. a storm front in the pacific is moving in over the west coast, and it's clear over the ohio valley. plus, another system is coming

up from the gulf heading toward the south. in sports, fans of super bowl champs, the new york giants, are getting ready to celebrate big tim. a huge ticker tape parade is planned this morning here in new york city, along the canyon of heroes. yesterday a water cannon salute greeted the giants' plane after it landed at newark airport. on the flight, the team got the party started. ♪ i got a ring ♪ he got one too ♪ i got a ring ♪ he got one too >> yes, they did get a ring. and even more celebrating as thousands of fans greeted the giants when they pulled into metlife stadium in new jersey. today's ticker tape parade will be the second one for eli manning. he and mickey mouse were cheered by adoring fans in disney world. manning then flew to new york to appear on the late show with david letterman.

he and dave talked about ahmad bradshaw's game-winning run. >> right as i'm handing the ball off to ahmad i could sense the patriots' defense. so i told him, hey, don't score, don't score. >> wait a minute. you're handing him the ball and at the same time, don't score. okay. so now he knows -- he understands -- he understands the situation. >> right. i think, you know, at first he's just -- you know, something had to pop in his head, something's wrong here. why -- they're trying to tackle me. >> eli's big win is helping him score off the grid iron. experts say he could earn as much as $14 million in endorsement deals. and the new england patriots aren't commenting about supermodel gisele bundchen's super bowl rant. she's quarterback tom brady's wife and was heard complaining about dropped passes that may have caused new england the game. the insider.com says bundchen said, quote, my husband cannot [ bleep ] throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.

all right. in basketball, the lakers' kobe bryant kept on hitting jumper. passing to former teammate. passing former teammate shaquille o'neal. but lou williams had the hot hand for philadelphia and helped spoil kobe's big night. the sixers take down the lakers, 95-90. and in england some fur was flying during a soccer game, the four-legged kind, that is. a cat ran out on the field and delayed the match for a couple of minutes. eventually it was picked up by a steward and it didn't take long before the feline intruder had several twitter ages, one with over 14,000 followers. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories, and parent outrage at a los angeles elementary school where the entire staff will be replaced amid a teacher abuse investigation. vestigation. maybe you can be there; maybe you can't. when you have migraines with fifteen or more headache days a month, you miss out on your life. you may have chronic migraine.

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plus, two women attacked within minutes at stanford. the frightening way... both victims were approached. and it all comes down to this. the court ruling today on prop eight. why the battle may be far from over, no matter what the decision. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. weather ad libs here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country.

washington, d.c., mostly sunny, 58. it's going to be mostly sunny in atlanta as well, 62 there. detroit mostly cloudy, 38. cloudy in denver, 25, and foggy in seattle, 50 degrees there. here's another look at this morning's top story. the syrian city of homs is under attack again this morning. activists say at least 95 people were killed yesterday in the government crackdown. u.s. has closed its embassy in damascus and britain has recalled its ambassador. and authorities investigating the house fire that killed the sons of missing utah woman susan powell say the boys were attacked with a hatchet. josh powell, the boys' father, also died in the blaze, which police say he deliberately set. there is more fallout from the sex abuse scandal at a los angeles elementary school. the entire faculty has been removed while the district conducts an investigation.

the action came after about 100 angry parents protested yesterday outside the miramonte elementary school, saying their children are not safe. >> my child cannot speak for himself. and even though there are other kids right here that would like to speak out, they can't or they're afraid to. >> i feel really upset and angry that we're not getting responses that we need, you know, answers to our questions. >> teacher mark bart was charged last week with committing lewd acts on almost two dozen children. and then mark springer was arrested for allegedly fondling two girls. police say there's no connection between the two men. jury selection resumes today in the trial of george huguely. he's the former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girl friend. huguely was in court in charleston yesterday and pleaded not guilty to murdering yeardley love two years ago.

he says the two got in an argument and her death was a tragic accident. coming up, actor michael weatherly from the hit tv show "ncis." i'm betty nguyen. hit tv show "ncis." . i'm betty nguyen. ♪ so, look at the orange. now close your eyes. ♪ alakazaam! you're good. and now i'm going to make this flower bloom. presto. "love you lots." do you want to see it again? yes, i want to see it again! [ female announcer ] hallmark blooming expressions delivers your love again and again. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪

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the cost of filling up your car may soon hit an all-time high. the national average for a gallon of regular is now $3.48. experts say it could rise above $4 by may, and as michelle miller reports, the cost of heating your home is also rising. >> reporter: leslie von wilson is trying to find out where her money is going. she hired an energy efficiency expert to inspect her long island home. >> your heat is literally going through your roof. >> you can see your money flying out of your pockets. >> reporter: she's paid $700 for heating oil so far this winter, 19% more than last year. >> i'm just hoping to be able to get the most bang for my buck. >> reporter: this winter, a gallon of heating oil will cost

on average a record $3.79. that's 41 cents more than a year ago. analysts blame the price rally on iran's threats to close the entrance to the persian gulf and the demand for diesel and heating oil from growing economies. at the same time, financial problems have forced europe's largest independent refiner to announce temporary shutdowns of three refineries. the timing of all this could not be worse for many americans. >> the low income family is struggling desperately to try to fill their oil tank. >> reporter: john wells runs a boston program that helps the needy pay their heating bills. this winter a record 9 million households nationwide are expected to apply for assistance, that as congress has cut the federal heating aid program by 25%. >> the resources that they normally would have had, they've already exhausted, even with the mild winter.

>> reporter: they'll have to sacrifice something else. >> they're doing that right now. they're sacrificing food, they're sacrificing their medicines. >> reporter: the aid cut has forced vietnam vet john murphy to lower his thermostat. >> it was 11 the other night. i had it on 66. >> murphy has cancer and now spends most of his day under an electric blanket in the one room where he can afford heat. >> fuel assistance in the northeast during the winter months is dirty pool as far as i'm concerned. >> reporter: murphy's counting on new england's mild winter to last. his heat 'eers already burned through the $1,000 in fuel aid that was supposed to last until spring. michelle miller, cbs news, boston. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," more on president obama returning a $200,000 donation from the brothers of a known fugitive. plus, an update from inside syria on the deadly crackdown against anti-government protesters. more details in that house fire that killed josh powell and

his two young sons. >> and singer nick jonas of the jonas brothers stops by studio 57 to tell us about his turn on broadway. that's the "cbs morning news" on this tuesday. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com wrt